Crema ([>]) or sour cream, thinned slightly with milk, for garnish
Serves 4 to 6
Mix together the salsa, cream, and chicken broth in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce the heat, and simmer the sauce 10 minutes, until it has reduced slightly (there should be about 2½ cups). Add salt and pepper to taste, and set the sauce aside.
Preheat the oven to 350° F. Grease a shallow baking dish. Cut the tortillas into sixths.
Heat about ½ inch of oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add some of the tortilla wedges, frying them briefly until they are golden and chewy, but not as crisp as tostada chips. Drain the wedges on paper towels. Repeat until all the wedges are fried.
Dip the wedges in the tomatillo sauce, and lay them all in the bottom of the baking dish. Sprinkle the chicken, onion, and cheese over the tortilla wedges. Top the dish with the remaining tomatillo sauce. Then bake the casserole for 20 to 25 minutes, until it is bubbly. Serve the casserole hot with the crema or sour cream on the side or drizzled over the top.
To simplify the last-minute tasks, the tomatillo sauce can be made and the tortilla wedges fried the night before. Don't assemble the casserole, though, until shortly before baking, or the tortillas will get too soggy.
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Old Texas lore says it's good luck to dream of eggs—unless they are broken, which is a sure sign of misfortune.
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Jalapeño Pie
Called a pie because it's served in slices, this Texas treat is actually a casserole of jalapeños, cheese, and eggs, supported here by a cornmeal crust that's a Paul Prudhomme innovation. Like most versions of the dish, this is for folks who like some real sparks to get themselves ignited in the morning.
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons medium-grind cornmeal, preferably stone-ground
½ teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 cup buttermilk
½ cup milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 garlic clove, minced
1½ cups chopped onions
6
to
7 fresh jalapeños, sliced in very thin rings
1 teaspoon ground dried red chile, preferably New Mexican or ancho
1¼ teaspoons cumin seeds, toasted and ground
1 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
½ teaspoon salt, or more, to taste
2 tablespoons oil, preferably canola or corn
8 eggs
2 cups (8 ounces) grated sharp cheddar cheese
Serves 6 to 8
Preheat the oven to 350° F.
Toast the cornmeal in a heavy 12-inch skillet, preferably cast-iron, until it is fragrant and just beginning to brown. The cornmeal turns quickly from lightly brown to burnt, so keep an eye on it. Stir in the sugar and the baking powder. Pour the cornmeal mixture into a medium bowl, add the buttermilk and milk to it, and stir everything together well. Set the bowl aside.
Wipe the skillet free of any clinging cornmeal, and then melt the butter in it over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion, and cook them until the onion has softened. Add the jalapeños, red chile, cumin, black pepper, and salt, and cook for 5 minutes more. Spoon the mixture into a small bowl, and reserve it.
Wipe out the skillet again, and add the oil, heating it until it is quite hot but not smoking.
Spoon the cornmeal batter into the skillet. It will pop and sizzle. Remove the skillet from the heat immediately. The batter will partially cook as it cools. After 2 minutes, top it with the jalapeño mixture, spread evenly. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs together until they are foamy, and pour them over the jalapeño mixture. Top the eggs with the cheese.
Bake the pie for 30 minutes, or until it is lightly puffed and golden. Allow it to cool 10 to 15 minutes. Then slice it in wedges, and serve it. Leftovers can be reheated.
Potato Pancakes with Nutmeg Applesauce
Originally from Germany, potato pancakes are still a favorite in Fredericksburg and other German towns, and nowadays pop up all around Texas.
APPLESAUCE
2 cups applesauce
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
PANCAKES
2 cups finely grated uncooked baking potatoes
2 eggs
3 tablespoons minced onion
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon thin-sliced green onion tops
Scant 1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon coarse-ground black pepper
⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Oil for pan frying, preferably canola or corn
1
to
2 teaspoons bacon drippings, optional
Serves 4
Combine the nutmeg with the applesauce, and reserve it. It can be refrigerated or served warm.
Arrange the potatoes on a dish towel, and roll up the towel jelly roll-style. Wring it, squeezing as much moisture as possible from the potatoes.
Place the potatoes in a medium bowl, and add the eggs, onion, flour, green onions, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Stir well.
Heat a skillet over medium-high heat, and add about ¼ inch of oil. (For extra flavor, you can add a teaspoon of bacon drippings.) Spoon the batter into the hot pan, making cakes about 3 inches wide. Cook the pancakes until they are a deep golden brown on both sides, about 4 to 5 minutes total. Repeat as necessary until all the batter is used (you should get about eight pancakes). Add more oil or bacon drippings if they are needed.
Serve the pancakes immediately with the applesauce on the side.
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Given the popularity of potatoes in German cooking today, it's ironic that Prussians refused to eat spuds until around 1720, when King William I threatened to cut off their noses as an alternative.
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Cornmeal and Rice Pancakes
These griddle cakes from southeast Texas are supremely versatile. Serve them either sweet, with syrup and butter, or savory, with salsa and chunks of avocado.
½ cup extra-fine-grind cornmeal, preferably stone-ground
½ cup all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon sugar (increase to 1 tablespoon if you intend to serve the pancakes sweet)
1½ cups cooked white rice
2 cups buttermilk
2 eggs, separated
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Oil, preferably canola or corn, for pan frying
Serves 4
Into a medium bowl, sift together the cornmeal, flour, salt, baking soda, and sugar.
In a separate bowl, mix together the rice, buttermilk, egg yolks, and butter. Stir the mixture into the dry ingredients. Combine only lightly, leaving a few lumps.
Beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Fold the egg whites into the batter.
Smear a griddle or skillet with a film of oil, and heat it until a few drops of water sprinkled onto it sizzle and dance. Spoon the batter onto the griddle in individual portions about 4 inches in diameter. Flip the pancakes when air bubbles form on their surfaces. When browned lightly on both sides, the pancakes are done. You should be able to make twelve to sixteen 4-inch pancakes. Serve them immediately.
Variation: Brown rice is a good substitute for white rice in the savory version of the pancakes.
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Many old cookbooks specified the quantities of yeast needed in recipes by price. In early Texas tomes, the typical amount was five cents' worth.
* * *
Peanut Butter French Toast with Jalapeño Jelly Syrup
Kids of all ages love this one.
JALAPEÑO JELLY SYRUP
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups plus 1 tablespoon jalapeño jelly or jam, preferably homemade ([>])
¾ cup corn syrup
¾ cup creamy peanut butter
1 tablespoon honey
12 slices white bread
4 eggs
½ cup mi
lk
Butter or oil, preferably canola or corn, for pan frying
Serves 4
Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Add the 2 cups jelly and corn syrup, and stir to combine. Set the syrup aside, keeping it warm.
In a small bowl, combine the peanut butter with the honey and 1 tablespoon jelly. Spread equal portions of the mixture on half of the bread slices. Top each slice with another slice of bread. Cut the sandwiches in half on the diagonal.
Whisk together the eggs and milk. Dip the sandwich halves into the mixture, soaking both sides well.
Heat a griddle or heavy skillet. Add a small amount of butter or oil, and fry the sandwich halves, in batches, until they are golden brown.
Serve each guest three sandwich halves, and pass the warm jalapeño jelly syrup separately.
* * *
When desperate, nineteenth-century Texans sometimes made "coffee" out of dried and roasted mesquite beans, the pod-packed seeds of the scraggly tree.
* * *
* * *
A doctor developed peanut butter as a health food for the elderly and promoted it nationally at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair, the same exposition that introduced the hamburger.
* * *
Tortilla French Toast
We adapted this savory twist on French toast from a recipe in an El Paso Junior League cookbook, Seasoned with Sun.
2 eggs
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup milk
8 flour tortillas (the thicker the better)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons oil, preferably canola or corn
Salsa, diced avocado, and grated cheddar cheese, for garnish
Serves 4
Preheat the oven to 300° F. Place four plates in the oven to warm.
Combine the eggs, salt, and milk in a shallow dish. Add the tortillas one or two at a time, and soak them as you would French toast, turning once to coat them evenly.
Heat about ½ tablespoon each of the butter and oil in a heavy skillet. Fry the tortillas one at a time, cooking until they are browned lightly on each side and adding more butter and oil as needed. Place a pair of tortillas on each of the plates, arranging the tortillas side by side but overlapping a bit. Don't cover them.
Top the tortillas with salsa, some chunks of avocado, and a generous sprinkling of cheese. Serve the French toast immediately.
* * *
In his overblown book on Texas, The Super-Americans, English writer John Bainbridge said, "Good public eating is harder to find than oil." He claimed that outside the cities, he found himself "at the mercy of cooks and countermen who, to judge by the food they serve, are barely able to conceal their homicidal instincts." He obviously never ate breakfast in a Texas country cafe.
* * *
* * *
"Morning food is the only really good food that you can eat in your pajamas."—Margaret' S. Fox and John Bear, Morning Food
* * *
San Saba Pecan Waffles with Cajeta Sauce
German settlers popularized waffles in Texas, but this version owes its sparkle to a Mexican caramel sauce, cajeta, made with goat's milk. We named them for San Saba County, where we like to get the pecans that provide their substance.
CAJETA
1 quart goat's milk
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon corn syrup
½ teaspoon baking soda
WAFFLES
1 cup pecans, toasted
1 cup all-purpose flour
¾ cup medium-grind cornmeal, preferably stone-ground
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
3 eggs, separated
1½ cups milk
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Additional butter
Serves 4
Make the cajeta: In a large, heavy saucepan, combine the milk, sugar, and corn syrup, and cook over medium heat. When the mixture comes to a boil, add the baking soda, which will cause the milk to bubble merrily. Return the pan to the stove, and lower the heat so that the milk simmers steadily. Cook the milk 40 to 45 minutes, stirring occasionally at the beginning and frequently toward the end. The milk will thicken and turn golden brown. It should be the consistency of a spoonable syrup.
Cajeta can be used immediately or stored in the refrigerator, covered, to be used as needed. When rewarming it, add a little water or milk if the caramel seems too thick.
Make the waffles: Preheat a waffle iron according to the manufacturer's directions.
Place ¾ cup of the pecans in a food processor, and chop them very fine. Add the flour and cornmeal, and process until the mixture reaches the consistency of meal. Add the sugar, baking powder, and salt, and process until the ingredients are blended. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl.
In another bowl, whisk the egg yolks together with the milk and butter. Stir the liquid mixture into the dry, just until they are combined.
Beat the egg whites in another bowl until stiff peaks form. Fold the whites gently into the batter.
Cook the waffles in the iron according to the manufacturer's directions.
Serve the waffles hot, accompanied by butter, the rest of the pecans, and warm cajeta.
* * *
Technique Tip
A little tangier than cow's milk, goat's milk is generally stocked by health food stores and is showing up in many supermarkets. Some stores stock only an evaporated canned version, a reasonable substitute. Use 2 cups of the evaporated version, adding 2 additional cups of water or regular milk.
* * *
* * *
Bring your nutcracker to San Saba in the fall for the annual Pecan Festival and Venison Chili Cook-off. The number of pecan varieties will astound you.
* * *
* * *
Cajeta takes an hour or so to make and then keeps indefinitely, but you can find jars of it in Mexican markets when you want an even quicker result. Cajeta is also good on ice cream and angel food or pound cake, and with mangoes, peaches, or sautéed bananas.
* * *
Caramel Pecan Sticky Rolls
Ruth Bauer, a New England artist and a displaced Texan, makes these superb cinnamon rolls for her annual Christmas brunch, using a largess of Lone Star pecans shipped by her uncle.
ROLLS
1 package yeast
¼ cup warm water
½ cup milk
½ cup unsalted butter
½ cup sugar
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
2¼
to
2½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
½ cup dark brown sugar
TOPPING
1 cup dark brown sugar
½ cup pecan pieces, toasted
¼ cup unsalted butter, cut in several pieces
6 tablespoons corn syrup
Makes about 1 dozen rolls
Sprinkle the yeast over the warm water in a small bowl, and let it dissolve.
Heat the milk and ¼ cup of the butter together in a small saucepan until the butter is melted. Pour the milk and butter into a large mixing bowl, and stir in the sugar, salt, and vanilla. Let the mixture cool to lukewarm, and add the yeast. Beat in the eggs. Gradually mix in the flour, adding only as much as is needed to make a smooth dough. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, and knead until it is satiny. Rinse and dry the bowl, and coat it lightly with oil. Place the dough back in the bowl, and turn it over so that it is covered with a film of oil. Cover the bowl with a towel, and set the bowl aside in a warm place until the dough rises to double its original size, about 1½ hours.
While the dough is rising, butter a 9-by- 12-inch baking pan. Prepare the topping: Scatter the brown sugar, pecans, and butter bits in the dish, and drizzle with the corn syrup. Place the pan in the oven, and set the oven to 350° F. Heat the pan for a few minutes, until the butter has
melted and the syrup is runny. Remove the pan from the oven, but leave the oven on. Stir the mixture if it has melted unevenly. Set the pan aside.
Knead the dough lightly, and roll it out into a rectangle about 10 inches by 12 inches. Melt the final ¼ cup of butter, and spread it on the dough. Sprinkle with the cinnamon and brown sugar.
Roll up the dough carefully from one of the rectangle's longer sides. Cut the roll into slices about 1 inch thick. Arrange the slices over the topping in the baking pan. Cover the pan loosely, and let the dough rise until it is doubled in size again.
Bake the rolls 30 minutes or until they are golden brown. Run a knife around the inside edge of the pan and invert the rolls onto a plate or tray.
Serve the rolls immediately, or let them cool and reheat them, covered, the following morning.
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Texas Home Cooking Page 42